RESIDENTS flocked to Callington Town Hall last night (Tuesday) to hear the town council give the thumbs down to a major plan for the development of 175 dwellings.

In a special planning meeting where members of the public were allowed to comment and ask questions, the council agreed to recommend refusal of the plan of up to 175 dwellings on land adjoining South Hill Road as a consultee for Cornwall Council’s strategic planning committee, with whom the final decision lies. The council did however, agree to support a separate plan on the agenda for 17 houses on land north west of Callington Methodist Church.

During the meeting, the applicant for the larger development was invited to make a presentation to the council and the public, but it declined to do so.

The public was reminded that the plan was for the principle of the application and the access only and that the actual design details had yet to be decided.

The majority of concerns raised among the public in attendance related to the pressure on the town’s infrastructure and the amount of traffic the development would produce on already busy roads in the town.

One resident said: ‘It is a nightmare at the moment trying to get out on South Hill Road — just imagine another 300 vehicles trying to do the same.’

Another resident claimed that he had read the transport study and said that it was ‘obvious’ that whoever carried out the study did not visit the site at 8.45am. He said South Hill Road became a single-track road along one part which would not be practical with the increase in cars that the development would produce.

Cllr Mike Tagg was against the development. He said: ‘I know we’ve got to have more houses but we do not have the infrastructure for it. We’ve heard about the problems with the health centre, jobs, lack of school capacity — I can not support it.’

It was agreed the council would recommend refusal of the application on the grounds of access and infrastructure and the specific issues highlighted at the meeting would be relayed with the council’s recommendation.

The council also made a decision to support the development by Callington Methodist Church for 17 dwellings on a field north west of the church.

At the meeting Peter Whitehead, planning consultant for the methodist church, said he was satisfied with the application.

Read the full report in Thursday’s East Cornwall Times.